March 1, 2022
Dominion Energy Partners with The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities to Develop Hispanic Leaders for the Energy Industry
RICHMOND, Va. – Dominion Energy today announced a partnership with The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, supporting seven higher education institutions in Virginia, North Carolina, Connecticut, Utah, and Puerto Rico.
Dominion Energy and HACU will support the colleges and universities in the four states in the company footprint and Puerto Rico through a three-year, $2 million-dollar initiative aimed at promoting higher education equity. Each school will develop a Summer Bridge Program providing outreach to high school students and establish a source of STEM-oriented students to support the energy industry. The funds will also provide for the school’s membership in HACU, allowing students to access additional resources.
The Summer Bridge Program will be customized for each of the seven-pilot institutions and will include a seven-week summer program for graduating high school seniors. The program introduces students to STEM careers and the energy industry, as well as acclimating them to a university campus and the rigors of academic life. Each student will participate and receive college credit in college-level courses in engineering, business, cybertechnology and biotechnology.
Support services including mentoring and tutoring are provided, as well as career awareness and exploration seminars. Through this program, each institution will have the capacity to impact 60 students and their families each year; over the course of the project, that means 180 families per institution and more than 1,250 students will enter the career path from high school to college and into the energy industry.
Dominion Energy will support HACU membership costs for the participating institutions for the duration of the project. HACU membership provides all college students at these institutions access to HACU programs and services such as corporate internship programs, academic scholarships, and leadership development opportunities.
The seven schools selected to participate in this program are:
- George Mason University
- Northern Virginia Community College
- Sampson Community College
- University of Connecticut at Stamford
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke
- University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
- Utah Valley University
The Summer Bridge Program will take place in the summer of 2022. Information on how to apply will be announced in the spring. Click here to read the full release.